Carbonizing or distillation apparatus



Oct- 27 1925- N. H. FREEMAN CARBONIZING 0R DISTILLATION APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 5. 1921 Oct. 27, 1925. 1,558,974

N. H. FREEMAN i e F'eb. 3, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 27, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NAT HARRIS FREEMAN, F HOLBORN, LONDON, ENGLAND.

CARRONIZING OR DISTILLATIOFI' APPARATUS.

Application filed February 3, 1921. Serial No. 442,196.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NAT HARRIS FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holborn, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements, in Garbonizing or Distillation Apparatus (for which on February 12, 1918, I-

filed an application for patent in England),

of which the following is a specification. L

This invention. relates to carbonizing or distillation apparatus of the kind in which the material "under treatment is passed in a zig-zag manner through a series of superposed compartments by means of stirrer-s or scrapers and in which each compartment is'heated separately in a controllable manner. The present invention has for one ofing plate is gradually scraped therefrom by scrapers or deflecting plates hinged to the cover of thechamber and allowed to fall on to the next lower fixed plate from which is. scraped or deflected by scrapers attached to the lower side of the revolving plate and permitted to fall on to the neirt lower revolving plate and so on through the chamber. I

According to the present invention each successive carbonizing or distilling chamber is providedwith a centrally disposed rotary platformfor receiving coal or like material,

over which platform the material when en tering the chamber is caused to move in one direction by stationary shoes or deflectors, whilst similar shoes or deflectors. carried by the platform on the opposite side feed the material in the'reverse'direction to the outlet of said chamber, said chambers being so to be conducted away separately from each it will now be more fully described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical (fragmentary) sec: tion of the improved'apparatus;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan on line m.r of Figure 1, and showing in-dotted lines the relative position of certain of the shoes;

Figure 3 is a sectional plan on line y-\ of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View through the members e and d;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken just above the member d;

Figure 5 is a vertical section through the member 6, 0;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken justabove' the member 6;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation, partly in section, showing one form of temperature heating chamber a, and Figure 7 is a vertical section, enlarged, showing a detail of the apparatus shown in Figure 6.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

a-a are the chambers, of whichthere may be any number, preferably arranged in tiers, the coal or like material being fed into the controlling means applied to a apparatus through an opening I) at the top and caused to pass around and through each chamber a. From the first or upper 'chamher the coal enters the second chamber at a point central thereto and after having moved towards the periphery of said second chamber and back again to the centre enters the next or third chamber and so on through the several chambers. The chambers a, a

are disposed concentric to ..a vertical shaft 0 adapted to be rotated by means of a pulley 0,, whilst within each chamber is provided a series of blades, vanes or shoes d, (1 carried by a rotary platform e (Figures 1 and 4) keyed to the shaft 0 for directing and conducting the coal during its passage through each chamber. there may be any suitable number arranged in any appropriate manner when rotated within the chamber agitate and feed the coal from one chamber to another topermit of the by-products being separated therefrom. In addition to the rotatingor revolving shoes,

Said shoes d, d of which.

fixed shoes 6 6 (Figures 1 to 5) are pro- 110. vided to deflect the coal and cause it to fall over the edges of the rotary platform e and.

- chamben. In order that the invention may be'clearly understood and readily carried into effect in the latter connection the rotary platform or table e will also carry the coal into contact with the shoes e 6 said platform being designed to effect the feeding of the coal in the desired direction and at the required rate. Each chamber 'is provided with an outlet or outlets f, f whereby the distillation products separated during the passage of the coal through each chamber may be drawn ofi'. Between each adjoining pair of chambers a, a annular chambersa are afforded into which gaseous fuel burners 57 may be inserted to permit of the heating of each chamber a in such a manner that the temperatures of each chamber may be regulated as required.

Any convenient construction of means for controlling the temperature may be used. For example, it may be of the type in which a body of mercury is caused to close an electrical circuit for actuating means to re? duce the temperature, such as that described and shown in may co-pending application, Serial No. 442,195. This construction is shown in Figures 6 and 7. Referring totion 3, the upper part of which tubular part is connected to the end of a tube 4 communicating with the air vessel 5 (whichfis within the heating chamber 'a) andva movable tubular part 6 of glassor other electrical insulating material. On end "of this movable part 6 is secured in a metal trunnion 7 in the fixed portion 3 and communicates through passages 8, 9, 10 and 11 in the trunnion 7 with the lower end of the tubular part 2 of the mercury container. As shown in Figure 7, the trunnion is in the form of a retort plug having in its periphery an annular groove 8 into which the lower end of the, part 2 opens in all positions into which the trunnion may be turned. A radial passage 9 connects the groove 8 with the inner end of an axial bore hole 10 in the trunnion, and the part 6 opens at the outer end of the trunnion into the other end of the bore-hole by way of a second radial passage, as shown at 11. The trunnion -7 is slightly conical and ground into its bearing in'the part 3 and secured therein by a screw nut after the manner of a plug cock. The angularly adupper end of the said adjustable part 6 and is bent around and secured to a rod 14 which is slidably secured in a carrier 15 working on a carrier rod 16 parallel to the said adjustable part. The end of the carrier rod 16 contiguous to the trunnion 7 is secured in a metal plate 17 which is carried by the said trunnion through the medium of a block of electrical insulating material 18 secured thereto. The said metal plate 17 also .car ries a screw 19 with hand wheel 20, which screw is engaged with a screw thread in the carrier 15. By turning this screw the position of the carrier 15 and consequently, the

position of the electrical terminal 13 in the passes through it to the mercury when the circuit is closed. The adjustable'part 6 of the mercury container with the other parts carried by the trunnion 7 may be moved around by hand in an are from a vertical to a horizontal or nearly horizontal position, the parts remaining in their adjusted position by the friction of the trunnion 7 in its bearing. The electrical circuit is through the part 2, trunnion 7, and mercury- 12 to the terminal 13, when in contact with the mercury, rod 14, carrier 15, carrier rod 16, and plate 17. In the circuit is a battery 21 andelectro-ma'gnet. 22, which, when the circuit is closed by the mercury 12 contacting with the terminal 13, is energized and operates the pivoted armature 23. This armature 23 has on it two metal pins 24 located and working in two mercury cups 25 which are in another electrical circuit comwhich is situated adjacently to the mouth of the gas supply pipe 30 to the burner 9 so that as the'armature 28 is actuated the valve or damper 29 closes or opens the gas supply pipe 30 more or less.

The mouth of the gas supply pipe 30 and the armature 28 are located in a' chamber 31 to, which the fuel.

is supplied. When, therefore, the mercury 12 is caused to rise in the part 6 of the mercury container, by the expansion of the air in the vessel 5 -due to rise of temperature in the heatingchamber, until the mercury contacts with the terminal 13, the first electrical circuit is closed, thereby closing the sec trol means of this character the temperature,

' rial passing ond circuit/and operating the damper 29 to it reduce the fuel supply to the burner g. 4

In order to'allow attainment of the desired temperature in the first. instance an adjustable relief valve 32 is provided in the pipe 4, which valve is opened or allowedto open while the said temperature is being attained and when the said temperature is reached the said valve is closed, the purpose being to prevent undue pressure in theair vessel 5.

By turning the trunnion 7 and parts carried by it more and more to the vertical from the horizontal the surface of the mercury 12 in the parts 6 becomes greater and greater and the distance the mercury travels under av given increase of pressure .is increased, the result being a very accurately acting adjustment of the control.

It will be seen that with temperature 'conin each chamber may be regulated as required by adjusting the movable part 6 to the desired angular position. i

It will, of course, be understood that the number of chambers may be varied as required accordingto the nature of the matethrough or being treated in the apparatus. The chambers in series may be employed in conjunction with coke retorts.

or any other distillation plant, it of course being understood-that the temperature in each of the separate chambers or compartments referred to will be maintained according to the heat required, to effect one or other stage of the distilling or carbonizing process.

What I. claimas my invention and desire partments and independent annular heating chamber for each compartment, means for controlling the heat supply to said heating chambers in such a manner that tha temperature in each heating chamber 1s maintained constant and the temparture of successiveheating chambers is different, means for conducting'the distillate separately: away.

from each compartment, a platform in each compartment, means for rotating said platforms, means for feedin the material to be distilled on to the plat o most compartment towards the centre of' said platform, means for conducting away the residue from the lowermost compartment, means for causing the material to rm in the uppertraverse the platforms from thefcentre outwards during their rotation and to deliver the materialover the'outer edge of each platform on tothe outer portions of the floor of the compartment to which it is appropriated, and means for traversing the material across the floor ofsaid compa'rt ment inwards towards the conduit leading into the next lower' compartment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturea a NAT HARRIS FREEMAN; 

